The Second Year

By: Adam Jardy

The Columbus Dispatch - January 27, 2012 12:44 PM

Last season’s media guide lists 15 Crew players in their first Major League Soccer seasons. Among them, three played internationally in 2010 and three more played at some level of professional soccer in the United States, leaving nine fresh-out-of-college faces on last year’s roster.

Six of those players remain: Bernardo Anor, Rich Balchan, Eric Gehrig, Cole Grossman, Aaron Horton and Justin Meram. Together, they combined for two goals and three assists in 60 games last season. Now with seven new draftees expected to be on the roster when the team leaves for Florida on Tuesday and a handful of other rookies, those second-year players are hoping to make bigger impacts this season.

“There’s huge potential,” said Meram, who had two assists in 17 games last season. “Last year there was a little bit of leniency due to the fact it was our first year. Now our feet are wet and we know what to expect. You have to pick up the tempo because you’re not a rookie anymore.”

Head coach Robert Warzycha is quick to point out that the adjustment from college to the professional level is not a seamless one, citing the faster pace of play and stronger level of competition.

Horton, who signed a home grown contract during the season, saw just one minute of action for the Crew. Although he has been battling a thigh contusion during the early days of camp, Horton is hoping to get on the stat sheet this year.

“(My goals are) to get in some games and score some goals,” he said. “I never put a number on it, big or small. It doesn’t matter. I just want to prove to everybody and show what I can do and help the team win.”

After his career at Loyola Chicago, midfielder/forward Eric Gehrig primarily saw action in the reserve league last season. As the Crew clinched the reserve league title, Gehrig served as team captain for the second half of the final game.

“We had a pretty good rookie class that contributed a lot, but you can’t ever get satisfied,” he said. “When you get satisfied you find yourself on the outside looking in. You’ve got to keep that hunger. They signed me last year and I want to prove them right and do well for them and my teammates and the city of Columbus.”

Meram, meanwhile, trained at BarwisMethods in Ann Arbor with Brandon Inge from the Detroit Tigers, Ryan LaMarre from the Cincinnati Reds’ minor-league organization, a former cast member of the Real World and former NFL players from the New York Giants and New England Patriots, he said. Meram credited the workouts for helping him better prepare for the season and hopes to see an impact on the field.

“Scoring goals, that’s what got me here,” he said. “I‘ve got this little monkey on my shoulder. Last year I got a couple assists but I felt like it wasn’t good enough. This year I feel like I need four, five, six goals and that can make the difference between being in third or fourth place and maybe first or second.”

Horton said his goal is to score this season, but declined to name a numerical goal.

And as for his connections to the Fire, Gehrig assured fans his head is in Columbus.

“To be honest, it’s a good relationship (with Chicago),” he said. “I know that the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew are one of the most heated rivalries, but the fans don’t need to worry: my heart is in Columbus. I grew up in the Chicago Fire system. You almost could say they had their chance. I’m grateful and thankful to be here, so there’s no need for the fans to worry. Everyone in Chicago is good about it. I know they beat us twice but we get them three times this year so hopefully things can be a little different.”